Colleges Offer Summer Fun for Kids

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What to do? What to do? Now that school's out and kids are home, what to do? The colleges of Dallas County Community College District have the answer: summer classes and summer fun for tykes and teens alike.

Six DCCCD colleges are offering summer programs through their offices of continuing education. Fees and dates vary, so check the websites or call the phone numbers listed below for each college that's offering summer programs for kids.

Brookhaven College's summer youth program is back by popular demand – a program that's packed with fun-filled courses that make learning an adventure. Four sessions are offered, and each features a different set of classes for different age groups. Dates are: July 6-10 (theater; digital photography; fun with physics); July 13-17 ("Just Add Water"; SAT/ACT preparation; creative writing; future leaders); July 20-24 (theater; cake decorating; creative writing for mysteries, science fiction, Manga or horror); and July 27-31 (super hero cartooning; creative writing/short stories; math and writing workshop – for middle schoolers only; digital photography using Photoshop; future leaders; and fun with physics).

Registration is under way, and students will receive a free T-shirt when they register. Parents can register in person in the college's admissions office or by phone at 972-860-4600 (please have course information ready and a valid credit card). All students must complete the Continuing Education Registration Form which is available on campus or online; they also must complete a DCCCD Minor Student Form and photo release form. The 2015 Summer Youth Program brochure with course listings, dates and cost is available at
www.BrookhavenCollege.edu/YouthPrograms.

Dates vary for specific camps, which are scheduled from June 29 through July 26; costs range from $75 to $199 for most activities; $375 for its four-week Hot Bot Day Camp; and $850 for the five-week Video Gaming Recreation Camp. For information and registration, contact the Cedar Valley College office of continuing education at 972-860-2995. For details about the summer camps – classes, dates, times and cost – visit
www.CedarValleyCollege.edu/cd/ce and look under "Youth Summer Camps 2015." For more information or registration, call 972-860-2995.

From art and drama to trumpets and pianos, Eastfield College will offer an artistic summer for young students. Youngsters can get creative in the college's Art and Drama Camp. Each day will feature a half day of art and a half day of drama. The art portion of camp will give youngsters a chance to use different techniques taught by a professional artist so that they can make their own precious pieces of art (and not the cottonball-and-cardboard type either!); they also will have a chance to exhibit their work during a gallery reception at the end of the week. During the drama portion of the day, campers will collaborate and write their own theatrical production, create costumes and set pieces, and tell their original story to an audience – learning all of the performance and technical aspects of theater.

Art and Drama Camp sessions are offered June 22-26 and July 13-17 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at a cost of $150 per camp session. Students will receive a free T-shirt with registration, and campers must bring a sack lunch and two snacks, plus beverages, each day. The college also offers a Dallas Trumpet Workshop at a cost of $300; a Children's Mini Piano Camp; and soccer camps for ages 5-13 and 14-18. For information about all Eastfield College 2015 summer camps, visit
www.EastfieldCollege.edu/cd/ce; to register, call the college's continuing education office at 972-860-7263.

Parents can register their children either in person or by phone. For registration on campus, visit the continuing education admissions window on the second level of the Student Services Building (Duncanville Road entrance). Registration fees can be paid by cash or check as well as by credit or debit card on Monday and Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and from Wednesday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To register by phone, call the Mountain View College continuing education office at 214-860-8835; credit cards only for phone registration. To view the brochure with detailed dates, times and age groups for classes, go to
www.MountainViewCollege.edu/business/conted and click on the schedule pictured. Space is limited, and classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.

This summer, children in grades 2 through 7 can spend some time at the North Lake College Kids' Summer Camp – a place where youngsters can make new friends and create summer memories. Activities are designed to promote opportunities to explore, create and have fun. Camp topics include art and culture, fitness, math, science, reading and writing. Individual camps last one week, and two sessions are offered: June 15 to July 2 and July 20-31. Morning camps are held from 9 a.m. to noon, and afternoon camps are scheduled from 1 to 4 p.m.; parents can choose either the morning or afternoon camp during the camp dates their children attend. Kids' camp classes range in cost from $105 to $189. North Lake also offers a Future Blazers Basketball Camp from July 6-10, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., for boys and girls, ages 8 to 14.

Registration is under way, and space is limited. All registration must be done in person; no phone registrations are permitted. A registration packet must be completed by a parent/guardian and returned to the North Lake College continuing education office, along with proof of payment (in full) before a student can be accepted for a camp. All children who are enrolled in a summer camp also must obtain a North Lake College photo ID, which they will wear at all times during every camp session. For more information, call the North Lake College office of continuing education at 972-273-3386. For details about each camp, visit
www.NorthLakeCollege.edu/cd/ce and click on the CE course schedule link, located on the left-hand side of the Web page.

Richland College is offering three types of STEM summer campus (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) for kids this year: a programming and game design summer camp in partnership with the University of Texas at Dallas; an animated, sculptural art camp in partnership with Dynamic Art Design; and a robotics camp in partnership with Robots 4 U. All classes are held on the Richland College campus in Richardson. Registration is under way, and class size is limited. Programming summer camps are scheduled July 6-10 or July 27-31, and kids can learn about Scratch, Logo, JavaScript and GameMaker. Half-day sessions are offered for Level 1 (grades 3-5) from 9 a.m. to noon or 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. (computers provided). Full-day sessions are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. for Level 2 (grades 6-8; bring a laptop).

The new summer Dynamic Art Design camp is a moving art project for children ages 7 to 12 who will build unique animated art programs that incorporate visual designs created by each child using a variety of devices to form the moving sculpture (which incorporates both art and engineering). Remaining sessions are scheduled July 6-10 or Aug. 3-7; morning and afternoon camp options are available from 9 to 11:30 a.m. or 12:30 to 3 p.m. Robotics summer camps, which combine robotics challenges and an end-of-the-week competition, is hands-on; all levels of students will find the camp both fun and challenging. Remaining sessions will be held either in the morning (9 to 11:30 a.m.) or afternoon (12:30 to 3 p.m.) from June 22-26, July 20-24 or July 27-31. For more information about all three camps, contact Heather Lozano by phone at 927-238-6918 or visit
www.RichlandCollege.edu/cd/ce.